After the race today 4/29/12 it is obvious there is a problem with the track surface. What is Cal speed going to do to rectify the surface problems? We heard a lot of talk of A LOT of people who are planning to not come back. Please figure out a solution to this! We'd hate to stop going to Cal Speed.

Sun Apr 29, 2012 3:17 pm

GDELCOURE

Joined: Tue Mar 03, 2009 3:01 pmPosts: 21Location: LAS VEGAS

Re: Track condition

I agree. It used to be fun to drive from Vegas to come race at LA. Yesterday was the worst. No fun at all. Had me thinking at the end of the day why come?

Mon Apr 30, 2012 6:07 am

Matt Dixon

Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2012 8:17 pmPosts: 3

Re: Track condition

As the owner of an Asphalt Sealing Co up here in NorCal I am curious if you can be more specific about the issue.

I have worked on tracks up here with no real issues.

Is it a surface thing or just a tuning thing?

Mon Apr 30, 2012 7:25 am

Chuck McDaniel

Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2010 12:11 amPosts: 13Location: Torrance, Ca.

Re: Track condition

We spent the entire Sunday the 22nd there testing and thought we had something that worked, only to find out additional sealer was put down in areas that it was coming up. That fact is the sealer will not pick up rubber. People are running absurdly low tire pressures to try to get grip. Rob runs a first class facility. If only the the Auto Club Speed way would subsidize grinding down 4 "to 6 " and installing new material with the correct mix for kart racing and letting it cure properly, Rob would be booked by every major karting organization and all the #&^@%#@ would stop. I do not know the cost of this but it would be a great addition to Cal Speed and the Auto Club Speed Way. We are considering changing series vs buying a different kart, to cope with the lack of grip. Just my 2 cents.

Mon Apr 30, 2012 7:59 am

Karttech

Joined: Sat May 24, 2008 7:52 amPosts: 40

Re: Track condition

The situation is alarming. I have already lost 2 drivers that will not come back race with us until we have a track, and 2 more drivers racing in 2 different series that told me driving wasnt even fun for them anymore. The frustrating aspect of this is that the situation is hurting our club, our sport, most of local karting businesses....but the track still get rented out by all the clubs.....Tri-C and LAKC need to team up, and give the track an ultimatum and momentarily change track until everything gets back to normal. I know for fact LAKC and there members love Calspeed under normal track condition and we all want to come back when track will be fix, but we need to put pressure for a change without affecting the relationship with the track.We all know the problem, we all know the solution, but no one but the facility can make the changes happen.

Last edited by Karttech on Mon Apr 30, 2012 2:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:19 am

Lisa Reed

Joined: Mon Nov 27, 2006 2:54 pmPosts: 20Location: Yucaipa, Ca

Re: Track condition

My husband & son, Brandon, summarized the problem by saying the track surface is TERRIBLE. NEVER has Brandon run such low tire pressure at this track. He ran 4-5lbs air pressure with air temp of 78. In past summers with air temps in the 100's, they'd run 12-13 lbs air pressure. He said it was no fun- felt like he was driving a sled. Lap times changed as much as 2 full seconds by the end of the runs - never does it change that significantly. The track itselft doesn't have any grip. The tires still looked brand new at the end of the day. Brandon said the areas where the sealer or track is coming up is really bad also. After the start of the race, the drivers got so spread out there really was no good quality racing as there used to be at Cal Speed. My husband and son both stated that this track surface has been ruined. Something has to be done to fix this.

Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:34 am

Eric Nelson

Joined: Tue Jan 27, 2009 9:31 amPosts: 8Location: Pasadena, CA

Re: Track condition

To be fair, Rob has spent tens of thousands of dollars maintaining the track surface since the facility opened. I have never seen a karting facility that is maintained as proactively as CalSpeed. Not so long ago, even with the major karting organizations, all we had to race on were surfaces so bumpy they would destroy chassis. So while the low-grip surface was probably not the intended outcome, if you were around back-in-the-day, CalSpeed is still a blessing by comparison.

Just guessing that this is the result of a misunderstanding between the track and the paving contractor. Voicing concerns is good but we need to keep in mind what is financially viable. The Speedway isn't going to pay for it, and leveraging the track to pay for renovations that would put them underwater financially probably will not help. The track is a resource for our sport so working on a positive solution will benefit us all....

Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:50 am

Lisa Reed

Joined: Mon Nov 27, 2006 2:54 pmPosts: 20Location: Yucaipa, Ca

Re: Track condition

I know Rob has done a lot - and spent a lot in an attempt to fix the track. The problem, however remains. Hopefully LAKC, Tri-C, the AutoClub speedway can all come together to fix this. In an economy where racing funds are limited for most, it unfortunately will be a case of not wanting to spend the money to race on this track. Honestly, what the condition of the track was in the past is irrelevant. How much has been spent recently is also irrelevant, except for the fact that it was wasted. If the track surface is not fixed correctly, the future of CalSpeed will be uncertain. Not meaning to be blunt, and not dismissing the monies Rob & CalSpeed have already paid regarding this, but yesterday the majority of drivers were VERY unhappy. You cannot run a business where most of your customers are questioning returning. We have enjoyed racing at CalSpeed for many years, but cannot afford to throw money away racing at a track that can't be raced on. I feel sad for Rob and the position he is in - it is going to take the clubs and speedway coming together to fix this.

Mon Apr 30, 2012 12:44 pm

Karttech

Joined: Sat May 24, 2008 7:52 amPosts: 40

Re: Track condition

Eric, I respect you and your opinion, but I have to say the current track is far from "a blessing still" as you mentionned. In the '90s I was racing karts on street courses, in a country where we have snow for half the year which makes streets bumpy and rough all year long and even then we were able to tune our chassis in a "normal" way; running normal tire pressures and feeling changes that were made to the chassis....and all the drivers had a blast. I personally dont have bad memories of old bumpy track.

Mon Apr 30, 2012 2:09 pm

Karttech

Joined: Sat May 24, 2008 7:52 amPosts: 40

Re: Track condition

Putting Calspeed in contact with the Morans might be a good idea, Rocky Sr. and Jr. had a good type of asphalt going on their track that they had develop for karting purposes.....plus the material used to patch the track as the normal wear was occuring was always good and effecient and i dont recall one driver complaining about the surface. Matter of fact its also the Morans who help resurfacing part of the track in Vegas for the supernats the last year the race was held at the Sam Boyd Stadium. I wish I could remember the name of the product...I was with Rocky at every maintenance day and fixing Sam Boyd Stadium as well.

Mon Apr 30, 2012 2:25 pm

Lisa Reed

Joined: Mon Nov 27, 2006 2:54 pmPosts: 20Location: Yucaipa, Ca

Re: Track condition

KartTech you hit on it- no matter what they tried yesterday, they could not get the kart dialed in. The only thing that helped was to amazingly low tire pressure & still over the course of the run, the lap times changed significantly. :/

Mon Apr 30, 2012 3:49 pm

Rob Niles

Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 8:52 pmPosts: 84

Re: Track condition

Me and my entire staff are aware of the track issues and are working feverishly to find the proper solution. I assure you, no one is more affected by this than me. I understand many people are not happy with the slick surface and want the "old" track back. So do I. I also realize that the roughly $45,000 I have spent on the track surface since December has not produced the desired result for many of you. I feel your pain, as I have spent twice the normal cost to resurface the track and am still unhappy with the result.

Trust me when I tell you we are doing all we can to remedy this. However, it is not a simple matter of just spending more money. We need to find the right fix. The fix has to meet with the Speedway's approval. And finally, it has to make financial sense.

I understand and respect everyone's concern over the matter. I know that some of you may choose not to race/practice at CalSpeed until the issue is resolved - I completely understand this and hope you will come back to CalSpeed in the future. However, the threat of boycotts and ultimatums will do nothing to accelerate the process. Those tactics might work if we were unaware or unresponsive to people's concerns, but that is clearly not the case.

In closing, I will keep everyone posted on our progress. I do not check this forum and do not intend to engage in an ongoing discussion here about the track. I posted this in response to an email I received from the LAKC Board regarding this matter.

Thanks for supporting CalSpeed in the past. I hope we will continue to earn your business for years to come.

Best Regards

_________________Rob Niles, Founder/PresidentCalSpeed Karting Center

Tue May 01, 2012 9:53 am

Alex King

Joined: Tue Jul 18, 2006 9:14 amPosts: 371

Re: Track condition

Wish Rob/Calspeed the best in their efforts to resolve track condition concerns. I can only imagine the amount of work and efforts ahead, noting that they probably need to attain resolution with the vendor(s) that already received $45K and did not meet expectations (results) - this alone probably takes time. In any event, I am planning on a half day practice tomorrow.

Tue May 01, 2012 5:46 pm

ibredd

Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2009 1:36 pmPosts: 17Location: Carson Ca

Re: Track condition

RobI sincerely wish you and your team the best, Cal Speed is the reason I got back into karting after 40 years.Don't give up and don't be discouraged, Steven Redd

Tue May 01, 2012 7:53 pm

Rob Niles

Joined: Tue Oct 19, 2004 8:52 pmPosts: 84

Re: Track condition

UPDATE #1

Track configuration was switched to Nuovo today, instead of Grande as previously schedule. The change was due to track construction that began this morning in the hairpin. The entry to apex of the hairpin has been completely ground down to prepare for sample surface applications.

Thanks to those that took time to email or post words of encouragement and support. As several people acknowledged, we will do what it takes to get this right.